SUVs

A while back, I recommended the new Acura MDX to those of you shopping for a new premium utility vehicle. Now less than a year later, I am back to recommend its greener sibling, the 2017 Acura MDX Sport Hybrid complete with four motors and electronic all-wheel drive.

If you want to blame anyone for the rise in popularity of crossover utility vehicles in America, blame Honda. And blame its uber-popular CR-V. For 2017, Honda has delivered the fifth-generation of this mid-size family utility to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the nameplate – and it is going to be as popular as ever.

Recently I mentioned that Toyota offers the consumer a choice when shopping the midsize utility vehicle segment – Highlander and 4Runner. Now in its fifth generation, 4Runner has been a popular sport ute for more than 30 years here and our 2017 Toyota 4Runner TRD Off-Road tester proves the model is still going strong.

A couple of years ago we brought you our first impressions of the all-new third-generation Hyundai Tucson crossover utility vehicle. For 2017, Hyundai has added the limited production Night model. Night adds a new blackout monotone appeal to the Tucson lineup for those seeking a bit more style with their substance.

The year is 2002, and North America is invaded by the Swedes. Volvo, to be more precise, and its all-new XC90 sport ute. That vehicle won every major automotive honor and caused many to rewrite the rulebooks – it even won Truck of Texas. We recently got to spend time with the 2017 Volvo XC90, and it’s still a winner.

Toyota rolled out the third-generation Highlander utility vehicle in gas and hybrid form a few years back and the automaker – and consumers – couldn’t be happier. It appears Toyota actually listened as they ironed out all the little kinks and quips with the previous generation model and they proved just that with our recent 2017 Highlander Hybrid tester.

If there is something very familiar with this 2017 Infiniti QX60 premium family utility vehicle, it could be that you remember its cousin we reviewed not too long ago in the form of the Nissan Pathfinder. And like the Pathfinder, the QX60 receives some nice upgrades for this year model as well.

I came across an anonymous quote recently that said, “Adventure may hurt you, but monotony will kill you.” After spending a few days with Mazda and their new CX-5 and Miata MX-5, I think I can safely say that driving a Mazda managed to break the monotony and bring the adventure without the hurt! Mazda is on the rise, refining…

Jeep, a name synonymous with off-roading around the globe, is earning quite the urban reputation for itself, too. In recent years the iconic wonder brand of the Fiat Chrysler Automobile group has been winning over car buyers who will never take their vehicles off paved surfaces thanks, in part, to models such as the 2017 Jeep Compass.

Pathfinder is probably Nissan’s second-best known nameplate, right after the Z. Now a few years after the introduction of its fourth-generation, the Sport Ute receives some significant upgrades in styling, safety, technology, and performance.

The final vehicle in the recent round of rerun reviews is the Honda HR-V. It launched just a little more than a year ago and we recently spent time behind the wheel of the 2017 EX-L AWD model with Navi that featured the only thing new for this year – the Lunar Silver Metallic paint job.

Next in our series of déjà vu reviews is the 2017 Mitsubishi Outlander. We drove the then completely remade three-row family crossover from Mitsubishi a little over a year ago and, like so many other vehicles these days, the newest model receives some technology upgrades.

I finish out the class of 2016 with a vehicle that features a legendary name but actually arrives from a little boot-shaped country in the Mediterranean. The Jeep Renegade compact off-roader came to be thanks to the corporate influence of Fiat and proved to be quite a surprise of a vehicle.

Acura rolled out the third generation of its MDX three-row crossover utility vehicle three years ago and for model year 2017 it receives a bit of a makeover. Along with sporting a new beak the 2017 MDX arrived with a host of new technologies as well.

It has been no secret that the Jeep Grand Cherokee has been one of my favorite vehicles in recent years. The latest platform is very stable and solid both on road and off despite the model line going to unibody chassis. Our recent Overland tester showed some nice (and needed) upgrades to the JGC line.

Honey, I shrunk the Acadia. Those were my exact thoughts when I first saw the redesigned 2017 Acadia three-row family crossover from GMC. And I kept thinking that when I learned it was powered by a four-cylinder engine. Can this new model fill the shoes of its previous generation?

General Motors must think I have a large family or something, as they have sent me one version or another of their extra-large family sport ute (AKA Carryall). I admit I am a fan of the Chevrolet Suburban and GMC Yukon XL vehicles, but five in the test driveway over the past two years – overload, perhaps?

I live in Texas, where huge pickups and SUVs are everywhere. Top of the line for either would have to be the GMC Denali, but you don’t have to be in a full-size Yukon or 4 door pickup to get the Denali package; you can also find it in the much more maneuverable, yet still roomy, 2017 GMC Acadia Denali.

Happy Anniversary, Jeep! Born in 1941, the iconic brand is celebrating 75 years of off-road toughness and its go anywhere, do anything attitude. We recently marked the stellar occasion by spending a week behind the wheel of a 2016 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon Hard Rock Edition as we celebrated our anniversary in the Texas Hill Country.

Mitsubishi has given its crossover utility lineup a makeover. The Outlander and Outlander Sport each feature new styling and new content to make them more competitive in the very crowded utility segment. We recently tested the Outlander Sport GT and found the new little Mitsubishi to be a pleasant surprise.

Half a decade ago Kia Motors America launched a marketing campaign for the all-new Sportage compact utility vehicle that begged the question (through song), ‘How do you like me now?’ We liked it just fine, but fast forward to the fourth-generation 2017 Kia Sportage and the Korean automaker is asking that question all over again.

I’m a huge fan of my Apple Airpods. They’re small, light, and sound great for everyday use. But I wanted to differentiate myself from every other guy on the streets of New York City. Enter BlackPods, a New Jersey-based customization service that beautifully re-finishes those stark white AirPods Black.